Now that the holidays are here it is important to remember that while our pets may look like they’ll enjoy a tasty treat, either from left over Halloween candy or from the Thanksgiving table, more often than not their stomachs can’t handle these treats. Depending on what they ingest some dogs and cats develop an upset tummy, diarrhea and vomiting. Others may get some of the more poisonous foods we eat like chocolate or xylitol containing sweets.
Dietary indiscretion is one of the most common reasons I see a pet with signs of not eating, vomiting and/or diarrhea. A lot of times the history reveals that the pet has been feed table scraps or got into the garbage and then there’s the occasional “Spanky jumped up on the thanksgiving dinner table and ate the entire turkey”, oh no. The signs that usually accompany this behavior happen because human food is usually too rich for our pet’s stomach and then result in the dreaded diarrhea (sometimes bloody) with vomiting and not eating. Since our pets usually eat the same cat or dog food everyday a change in the fat, carbohydrate or spice content of their diet will lead to an overgrowth of gastrointestinal bacteria and then everything pretty much snowballs. This bacteria is usually a gas producing bacteria and can lead to abdominal discomfort along with the already mentioned signs. So in short some pets can look and feel very sick just because they got a slice of bologna or some fat from a steak.
The reason why it’s very important to have your pet evaluated when they start showing signs like these is because a foreign body obstruction can cause very similar signs and eating an entire turkey (bones and all), Christmas ornaments or left over Halloween decorations are a perfect way to block the stomach or intestines. Usually the only way to fix an obstruction is to do exploratory surgery and remove the obstructing material. Another common reason to see pets this time of the season is eating sweet treats such as chocolate or candy. A large amount of chocolate can easily kill a small dog, dark chocolate being the worst for a pet to ingest. Chocolate ingestion usually has signs of vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity and seizures. Sugar free candies and chewing gums usually contain Xylitol, which can cause a severe drop in blood glucose in pets and lead to seizures and collapse. Ingestion of these materials require emergency care so do not wait to call your veterinarian if your pet has ingested any sweets.
If you see your pets exhibiting any of the above signs it is highly recommended you take them to your veterinarian for them to perform diagnostics to determine the cause of these signs. Also remember to give a complete history to your veterinarian as this can lead us to a quicker diagnosis. The best way to prevent all of the following during the holiday seasons is to keep decorations and toys picked up off the floor and out of reach if you know you have a pet that doesn’t care what they put in their mouth. It is also recommended to crate your pets during big dinners or parties to prevent them from helping you with any left overs. Dietary indiscretion can cause many different signs and be caused by many different things so as the holidays approach help your pets keep their GI system in order by keeping edible and inedible treats out of their reach.
Dr. Crystal Dupuy
